?Only This One Time?: Chuck Norris Made a Hilarious Claim After Bruce Lee Proposed the Illegal Colosseum Fight in 1972

The movie ‘Way of the Dragon’ features one of the most iconic martial arts fights on screen. The scene features legendary martial artists Bruce Lee and Chuck Norris. While both were great friends, after the fight, Norris made it clear that he wouldn’t be doing any movies with Lee.

Bruce Lee’s biography penned by Matthew Polly mentions what happened behind the fight scene. Lee and Norris had a good chat even before the movie was shot. Lee gave some statements to Norris, which he had to agree on.

Bruce Lee had some agreements with the American martial artist

The fight between Bruce Lee and Chuck Norris in the movie was shot illegally. The officials of the Colosseum were bribed, which helped with the shooting of the iconic fight scene.

According to the biography, Bruce Lee approached Chuck Norris in 1972 regarding the movie. In the call, Lee had a normal but important conversation with Norris. When he called Norris and talked about the details of the film, Norris asked him,?“Who gets to win?” and Lee laughed that, well, he is the protagonist of the film. But he promised Norris that the fight scene would be the highlight of the whole movie.

ALSO READ – Why Was the Most Iconic Martial Arts Fight Between Bruce Lee and Chuck Norris Illegal?

As per the biography, Norris agreed to Lee’s request by saying,?“Okay, but only this one time.” Norris did joke about that, but he was never seen in another movie with Lee after the Way of the Dragon. Lee also proposed that Norris prepare for the movie in a unique way: by gaining weight.

The moment their paths diverged

Lee made Norris gain 20 pounds just two weeks before the shoot. Bruce Lee worked hard for this movie, which explains why he was so serious about everything. In the movie, muscular Norris had a fight against lightning-speed Lee. After fighting for around ten minutes, Norris’ character Colt loses to the Kung Fu master, Lee, just as the script mentioned.

Norris never returned to the set with Lee after the Way of the Dragon as he wanted to become the protagonist of a movie himself. Chuck Norris, later on, acted in a number of martial arts and action movies. These movies include The Delta Force (1986), Lone Wolf McQuade (1983), Code of Silence (1985), and many more. The Way of the Dragon didn’t end their friendship as both martial artists had immense respect for each other. They never got into a real fight although many martial arts fans always looked forward to it until Bruce Lee passed away in 1973.

WATCH THIS STORY – Relive the iconic on-screen fights of the GOAT Bruce Lee from his movie collection

Have you watched the iconic scene yet? Let us know below!